Trade time!
We woke up this morning to the news that the Denver Broncos had agreed to trade wide receiver Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints.
In exchange, the Broncos received for a 2026 4th round pick and a 2027 7th round pick.
On the face of it, that is fantastic value for a 7th round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft who is also 27 years old.
People are going to question why he was traded, so I am going to break it down.
Denver got fantastic value
It was not long before the trade got announced that Broncos Country was debating whether Vele was a starting wide receiver or on the bubble and about to be traded.
We had heard rumours swirling that multiple wide-receiver needy teams were interested in Vele It turned out the Saints were one of those.
George Paton, the Broncos General Manager, has worked his magic in receiving great value for a number of former players.
He had previous got a 1st round pick back for OLB Bradley Chubb from the Miami Dolphins, but this one is up there for me as well.
As I mentioned above, Vele is 27 and a former 7th round selection so to get a 4th and a 7th in return for him is a great haul in return.
There is every chance that this 4th round pick turns out to be a very early Day Three pick as well.
Vele had dropped down the depth chart
Last season, Vele was probably the third wide receiver on the depth chart.
He had worked his way into being a safety valve for rookie Bo Nix – on third downs especially.
Vele moved the chains on 11 of his receptions, hauling in a total of 41 catches off his 55 targets last season for 475 yards and three touchdowns. That is quite an impressive rookie campaign for any wide receiver, and was exactly what the Broncos needed in Nix’s rookie year.
This season, however, the addition of 3rd round selection Pat Bryant – and the training camp emergence of Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims – had dropped Vele down the pecking order. He was battling for the fifth or sixth wide receiver slot on this roster.
With the Broncos possibly only keeping five wide receivers on the 53-man roster this year, it was time for Vele to be traded and the Broncos to get some draft ammunition in return.
More playing time in New Orleans
This trade screams ‘great move’ for both of the involved parties.
Firstly, the Broncos get incredible value for a very efficient player last season. For Vele himself, he also gets the chance to see the field a lot more for the New Orleans Saints and make those big plays on a consistent basis.
On that roster, he will likely be the third wide receiver option again and hopefully prove to be a reliable receiver for another rookie quarterback in Tyler Shough.
Broncos risers
This is nothing but good news for Pat Bryant, Denver’s 3rd round selection from Illinois.
This should cement his place as a top four option on this team and should see him play a decent number of snaps as that big-bodied wide receiver on both the inside and outside.
The other big winner is General Manager George Paton.
Paton continues to have a strong resumé – outside of the Russell Wilson contract and trade – while steering the ship in Denver.
He has secured fantastic value for a 7th round selection last season and long may this continue.
I wish Vele nothing but success in NOLA and for me, this trade is a win-win for both sides!
